I was present Tuesday night as the city council held a public hearing for rezoning property on Robinwood Road for the proposed new Harris Teeter. From the atmosphere in the room, if I didn’t knew better, I would have thought some members from New York City were petitioning the council to let them build a waste incinerator on that property.

I spoke in favor of the zoning changes because Gastonia sorely needs a Harris Teeter or a Publix to attract the young professionals that all areas of the greater Charlotte region are seeking to attract. Trust me when I say there are many, many young professionals who will automatically rule out moving to Gastonia because we do not have a “high end” grocer.

The opponents at the meeting all talked about how they love Hariss Teeter and miss them and want them to come back, but to build the store “our near Target” or “near Franklin Square.” Listen folks, these are “neighborhood grocers.” They build near neighborhoods! They look at demographics of an area with regard to schools, education and income, and that’s where they choose to build. That is why they chose Robinwood Road.

I work all over North Carolina, from Asheville, Charlotte, Raleigh to Wilmington and these “high end” retail centers all raise property values everywhere they go. They attract young, urban professionals who want to live there. The fact is that today’s young professionals want a Harris Teeter, Publix, or Whole Foods.

The opponents of the Harris Teeter, 99 percent of whom lie in the gated community near the proposed center, were organized and vocal, and they won in the “democratic process.” Congratulations to them - they played by the rules. But as I ride past that neighborhood, I can’t see one house from Robinwood Road. I see the guard house, the gates, and the trees that buffer them from the neighborhood. So I honestly don’t understand how this proposed development would so alter their lifestyle.

I’ve lived in Gastonia all of my life, except for the years I lived in Chapel Hill attending UNC Chapel Hill. I love Gastonia, and I moved back here after college, but I can tell you with a high degree of certainty that I wouldn’t move back today. Our property values are flat, compared to other areas of the state because we don’t offer the amenities that other cities and communities have to offer and thus, we can’t attract new business of high wage earners that we need for our tax and wage base to grow.

My son, Christopher, just graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in May, and where do you suppose he’s moving to next month? Chapel Hill. Many of his friends from the “Class of 2009” who are just now graduating from college are also moving to Charlotte or the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area for obvious reasons.